Street-sweeper.



No. 634,283. Patented Oct. 3, I899.

G. W. BRADY.

STREET SWEEPEB.

(Application filed Ian. 9, 1 899.|

(No Model.)

3 Sheets-Sheet THE ricnms PETERS co, rnomuma, wnsummou. u. r;

No. 634,283. Patented Oct. 3, I899; G. W. BRADY.

STREET SWEEPEB.

' (Application filed JB-nL 9, 1899.) (N o M o d 01 3 Shuts-Sheet 2,

Patented Oct. 3, I899.

G. W. BRADY.

STREET SWEEPER.

(Application filed Jan. 9, 1899.)

- (No Model.)

3 SheetsSheet 3,

INVENTOR lESSES 4 ATTORN EY vIO " NITED' STATES PATENT Fries.

GORDON \V. BRADY, NEW YORK, N. Y., ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF TO GEORGE M.RlTTENI-IOUSE, OF SAME PLACE.

STREET-SWEE-PER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 634,283, dated October3, 1899. Application filed January 9, 1899. $erial No. 701,656. (Nomodel.)

county of Kings, and State of New York, have invented new and usefulImprovements in Street-Sweeping Machines, of which the following is aspecification.

This invention relates to street-sweeping machines of the type having ahollow bucketed wheel to take up sweepings from a road or other surfaceand deposit same continuously in a receptacle, the main features of theinvention residing in the means of more effectively performing suchoperation and in the construction and arrangement of parts in theapparatus, as will-be specifically referred to hereinafter andparticularly pointed out in the claims.

In the drawings forming part of this specification, Figure 1 is a topplan view, partly in horizontal section, of my entire apparatus. Fig. 2is a side elevation of the bucketed wheel looking toward the interiorthereof. Fig. 3 is a vertical section taken on the line 3 3 of Fig. 2.Fig. 4 is a detail of the bracket holding the spring-supports for theguidestrip. Fig. 5 is another detail view more clearly showing the meansof connection between the bracket and spring supports. Fig. 6 is adetail of the buckets in the Wheel looking from line 6 6 of Fig. 7 inthe direction of the arrow. Fig. 7 is a detail cross-section of abucket. Fig. 8 is an enlarged detail of the clutch for operating thebroom, and Fig. 9 is a detail of a section of buckets as formed.

In said drawings, A indicates the frame which supports the mechanism andparts comprising my apparatus and which is mounted upon wheels B O D D,the wheel 0 having a hollow casing secured at its inner surface andarranged to rotate therewith. The said casing comprises a circular plateE, of substantially the same diameter as wheel 0, and a series ofbuckets 6, extending at right angles from plate E, continuing in annularform around its perimeter and opening centrally. The said buckets arebolted together and to the wheel-felly through the plate E by bolts 0 eas seen thereb Y renderim the buckets :e

the plate E, and the Wheel 0 integral. The buckets e are preferably madeseparately and initially united together in curved lengths, as seen inFig. 9, being thus ready to be adapted to the wheel, this being forconvenience of manufacture. The particular shape or individualarrangement of said buckets is most clearly shown in Figs. 6, 7,and 9,and the purpose of the central inclination of their peripheral walls isto permit the sweepings when deposited within the buckets at thebase-line of the wheel to drive with the aid of gravitation into therearmost portion of said buckets and to be retained therein while thebuckets are being raised with the rotation of the wheel. The abuttingwalls of the buckets are inclined in the direction of rotation, Fig. 6,to more securely retain the contents while being raised and tofacilitate Y the discharge of such contents as each bucket reachesapproximately its highest point of travel.

F indicates the axle of wheel O, its free end being journaled atfin abearing attached to frame A, the said axle or shaft carrying asprocket-wheel G, which is rigid therewith.

H indicates a circular broom or sweeper which is mounted on shaft h,which latter is journaled at h 72. in hangers 77/ 71 said hangers beingrespectively loosely supported by brackets 77, h, which are thus securedto the frame A, as seen. The sweeper, as seen, is arranged transverselydiagonally of the apparatus, the inclination in the forward movement ofthe apparatus being toward the bucketedwheel O.

Centrally upon the broom-shaft 7t is rigidly mounted a sprocket-wheel I,with which a sprocket-chain t' inter-meshes to rotate same and thebroom,said sprocket-chain also meshin g with the teeth of asprocket-Wheel J,which latter is rigidly mounted upon a shaft j. Theshaft 3' is journaled in bearings j 7' and terminates at its inner endin a universal joint 3' with which is connected a shaft j supported inbearingj and having a pinion secured at its end.

K indicates a shaft which is loosely mounted in a bearing secured to theframe A and supports rigidly a gear-wheel k which is the shaft K.

adapted, as seen, to mesh with the pinion j". i The shaft K also bears aslidableslceVe l thereon,which is prevented from independent rotation bya key fitting in a longitudinal slot 7.1 and being free to slidetherein. The sleeve 70 bears at one end a collar Z, and at its other endit bears a clutch portion 76 having teeth adapted to engage with theteeth of a corresponding clutch portion 7a, which latter is fast uponthe shaft K. A sprocket-wheel 70'',

mounted upon a hub 7. is also mounted upon A sprocket-chain L connectsthe sprocket-wheels G and 7& and permits the latter to be rotated by theformer. The movement of sprocket G being forward with the travel ofwheel C, a like movement is comlnunicated to sprocket 7t, whence whenthe clutch portion 711 is engaged with the clutch portion 7; suchmovement is communicated through sprocket 7.1 to pinion 7, but givingthe latter the reverse movement, which reverse movement is communicatedthrough shaftj, sprockets J I, and shaft h to the brush or sweeper H, asis requisite to cause the sweepings to be directed forwardly.

M indicates a yoke which straddles the sleeve 7;. between collar landthe clutch portion It to move said clutch-piece into or out ofengagement with the clutch portion 7e". Said yoke M is operated throughthe medium of a rod 921, which is slidably held in a strapbearing on",said rod being bent at m beyond the bearing and terminating in a pivotalconnection m with a bell-crank lever m, which lever is provided with aweight m at its free end. The lever m is allowed vertical movementwithin a slotted bearing on and can be operated by hand to cause theclutch port-ion 7: to be moved into or out of engagement with clutchportion k through the mechanism described. The lever m is pivoted in abearing an, as seen, and is locked in its desired position withinbearing m by a pin m Secured to the hangers 7L h are angle-brackets 1"P, which in turn support asubstantially T-shaped dashboard composed ofthe vertical member N and horizontal member N, that extends the entirelength of the broom H, parallel therewith and slightly in advance thereof. The function of this board N N is to check and restrain the throw ofthe sweepings, which otherwise by the operative movement of the brushwould be scattered ahead. Slots n are formed in the board N and bolts aare passed through said slots into the board N, firmly uniting both ofsaid boards. By means of this slot a bolt fastening the horizontal boardN may be adjusted to any required degree with regard to the broom H. Theboard N is raised sufficiently above the road-surface to avoid strikingagainst stones and other projections; but at the point where said boardextends into the bucketed wheel 0 it is provided with a dependingextensionpiece N of leather, rubber, or other flexible material, whoselower edge trails the road surface and also sets snugly upon the flangeplates 0, thereby positively preventing the throw of sweepings elsewherethan into the bucketed wheel 0.

Returning to the description of the bucketed wheel 0, into which one endof brush II extends diagonally to insure the deposit of the sweepingstherein, I provide a flexible flange therefor composed, preferably, ofthin metallic plates 0, the said plates lapping one anotherandformingacircularinclined flange, its inner diameter being less than itsouter diameter. At its diminished diameter said flange meets the innercircular flange of the buckets e and it flares outwardly therefrom, asseen, to come in contact with the road being traversed,,at which pointof contact said flange flattens to form an efficient scoop and to assistthe passagc of sweepings thereover, the sweepings passing through intothe buckets c. I is an annular strip of metal encircling and extendingbeyond the hucketed wheel 0 and lapping the connecting portions offlange-plates 0. An annular strip Q of wood or other suitable materialof substantially triangular cross-section is filled in the space betweenthe bucket ends, the strip 1, and flange-plates O. The strip I is boltedto buckets e, and the flange-plates O are secured upon the strip Q. Ihave found in practice that plates of thin sheetsteel, as the plates 0,serve to form a very flexible, efficient, and durable sweepingsweceiving flange forabucketcd wheel.

Sweepings deposited in the bucketcd wheel 0 are carried upwardly thereinby its rotation and are intended to fall from the upper portion of saidwheel by gravitation downwardly through chute it into the cart S. Toprevent the sweepings from falling out of the buckets prior to theirreaching the point below which the chute is stationed, I provide astationary guard T, which is held in its fixed position, as indicated,in the following manner: The said guard '1 consists, preferably, ofasheet of metal curved to fit closely against the m ouths of the passingbuckets e, and said guard is supported and held tensionally in itsposition by a pair of spring-arms U, the latter being adjustablyconnected to a bracket V, which is itself bolted to the frame A, thebolts 1) passing through the slot 7;. I preferably clamp the spring-armsU to the bracket Vas follows: I employ a T-shaped clamping-piece havingopposite arms a u and a bifurcated stem portion a, which straddles thebracket V, being secured thereto by screw U The spring-arms U passbetween and are held by the arms u u and the bracket, and their ends arelimited by the stems of headed-bolts 10 against which they abut, thesaid bolts 10 being placed in portions a extending from bracket V.Rubber or other packing material 7/ is placed between the spring-arms Uand their seat upon the bracket V to enable the clamping to be moreeffective. The guardstrip T, thus spring-held against the buckets e intheir upward travel, prevents the falling being, in the case of sticksand like articles being carried upward with the sweepings, to

enable such sticks, 850., to enter between such strip IV and to passupwardly between the guard T and the buckets 6, being forced by themovement of the latter, and, in their travel, pressing the guard-stripagainst its spring tension, sufliciently apart to permit of theirpassage.

The purpose of flexibly supporting the guard-strip T will now be clearlycomprehended, since were it rigidly secured in position it and thebuckets e would be liable to damage when sticks and other likeobstructions were attempted to be carried upwardly by the buckets.

The chute R is supported upon a bracket 0", which is mounted uponframeA, as seen, said chute being at a suitable inclination, and itsbase portion extends upwardly to form a curved rear wall r, which meetsthe edge of I the rear wall of the passing buckets 6, so as to formacontinuous line therewith and prevent escape of the falling sweepin gsexcepting through the chute. The lower end of the chute R terminates ata point aside from or out of the path of the cart S in tipping; but anextension R is hinged to the chute proper, as seen, and said extensionprojects directly over the cart. \Vhen the latter is tipped to dump thecontents, its wall strikes against the chute extension R and raises itupon its hinges, and upon the reseating of the cart the extension againdrops into operative position by gravity. Said extension R is preferablymade of flexible material. The chute is pro vided with a bail or arch Ras seen, whereby a bag or sack may be fitted over the mouth of saidchute in case it is desired to deposit the sweepings into such areceptacle instead of into the cart.

The cart may be tipped by any suitable means, and I have shown in thedrawings a.

compound lever device X for this purpose, the same being operated fromthe drivers seat by a handle Y.

W indicates a lever intended to raise the broom H out of contact withthe road, said lever being fulcrumed at w and engaging at one end with achain w, which is connected to a bar 10 the latter being a continuationof the angle-brackets t' i. The lever IV terminates in a handle w nearthe drivers seat, said lever also being provided with a sliding weight10 to regulate its power and being allowed vertical play within astrap-bearing 20 within which it may be secured in any desired positionby a pin w.

Y indicates an auxiliary chute arranged at the forward side of chute Rand intended to receive such contents of the buckets e as may not bedischarged through chute R, the chute Y serving to convey suchundischarged sweepings into the buckets descending forwardly. The lowerend of chute Y is connected to the frame in any suitable manner.

Having now described my invention, I declare that what I claim is 1. Ina street-sweeping machine, a hollow wheel open at one side to receivesweepings and a flaring flange therefor attached to the open side, saidflange consisting of a series of thin .inetal plates connected inannular form.

2. In a street-sweeping machine having a hollow wheel open at one sideto receive sweepings, an outwardly-extending flaring flange therefor toflatten as a scoop by con tact with the road, said flange comprising aseries of sheet metal plates connected together and arranged incircular, inclined form, and connected to said wheel to direct sweepingstherein.

3. In a street'sweeping machine having a hollow bucketed wheel toreceive and raise sweepings to an uppermost point of discharge, astationary guard-plate covering said buckets while being raised, and aflexible support mounted upon the frame of the machine and arranged tohold said guard-plate yieldingly against the moving buckets.

4c. In a street-sweeping machine, a frame, a hollow bucketed wheelrotatably connected therewith, a bracket connected to said frame, a pairof spring-arms adjustably clamped to said bracket, and a curvedguard-plate supported by said spring-armsin position to cover theascending buckets.

5. In a street-sweeping machine, a frame, an axle rotatably supportedtherein, and a hollow bucketed wheel mounted upon said axle and arrangedto receive and raise sweepin gs; together with a brush to drive thesweepings into said hollow wheel, said brush being rotatably supportedin hangers attached to the frame; a sprocket-wheel upon said axle,another sprocket-wheel mounted upon a shaft journaled in the frame inadvance of the firstnamed sprocket-wheel, a chain connecting saidsprockets, said shaft bearing a straight gear-wheel,which it rotates; apinion mounted upon a rotating rod and meshing with said gear-wheel,another rod connected with said rotating rod by a swivel-joint andextending transversely across the frame in parallelism with the brush,and bearing a sprocket-wheel from which extends a sprocket-chainconnecting it with a sprocket-wheel upon the shaft to rotate said brush.

6. In a street-sweeping machine, a frame, a hollow bucketed wheel 0, anaxle F therefor, a sprocket G upon said axle, a shaft K, a sprocket 7cthereon, a chain connecting sprockets G and a clutch portion 70 asliding sleeve 70, bearing collar Z and clutch portion a gear 75 uponshaft K, a pinion j meshing therewith and supported upon shaftj arotating rod j conncctin g with shaft j by a universal joint, a sprocketJ upon j, a

circular brush ll mounted diagonally in frame A upon shaft 21 by hangersh 71", a sprocket I upon said shaft 71, and a chain i connectingsprockets J and I, together with a yoke M straddling sleeve 7;, a rod msupporting said yoke, and a bell-crank lever m to operate said rod andyoke to engage or disengage the clutches.

7. In combination with a suitable frame, a brush mechanism, a T-shapeddashboard consisting of a vertical strip and a horizontal stripadjustably secured thereon, said dashboard being supported clear of theroad in advance of the brush; together with a bucketed wheel, to receivesweepings, said wheel having a flaring flexible flange, and a piece offlexible material depending from the dashboard, having its lower edgetrailing the road and lying snugly against the aforesaid flange.

8. In a street-sweeping machine, a hollow wheel open at one side toreceive swee-pings and comprising a circular plate and a series ofbuckets arranged and secured side byside and opening centrally of'thewheel, the bases of said buckets forming the wheel-perimeter beingtransversely inclined to provide their deepest and most capaciousportion at the outer wall.

(I. In a street-sweeping machine, in combination, a hollow wheel, openatone side to receive sweepings and comprising a circular plate and aseries of buckets arranged side by side and secured together, toreceive, elevate, and discharge sweepings, the said buck- I GORDON w.'nnAni'.

Witnesses:

L. T. SULLIVAN, h. W. BARKER.

